A step-by-step guide to a Royal Wedding

Ok, so you've bought your dress and are ready to attend, or in my case sit glued to the BBC all day (Fearne Cotton- my current obsession- is presenting the Beeb's footage, hence my choice of channel!). But what exactly are we watching. This blog contains all of the official details that you need for the running order of the day, courtesy of the BBC website. I hope that you find this useful:


Between 0815 and 0945 - The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey. That's Joe and Janet Bloggs, Mr and Mrs Normal! 
From 0950 - Prime ministers and governors-general of various Commonwealth countries, the diplomatic corps and other guests arrive at the Abbey.
1010 - Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.
1015 - Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Abbey.
1020 - Members of foreign royal families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
1020 - Kate Middleton's mother, Carole, and brother, James, leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
1025 - Minor members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.
1035 - The Duke of York and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, leave for Westminster Abbey along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence.
1038 - The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.
1040 - The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.
1048 - The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
1051 - The bride, accompanied by her father Michael, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
1100 - The marriage service begins and is relayed by speakers along the route.
1215 - The carriage procession of the bride and bridegroom with a captain's escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen's procession with a sovereign's escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
1230 - The bride's carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
1240 - Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1325 - The Queen and the bride and bridegroom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
1330 - Fly-past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The day has been planned with military precision, similar to my own wedding day! I bet their wedding planner even has a head-set! 
If you're interested, here's the seating plan:

A very special day!

It's taken a while but I've finally caught it; wedding fever that is! I am suddenly ridiculously excited for the wedding of the century, which takes place tomorrow. After doing a few lessons on it over the past few days, the excitement has built within me as though it's my own wedding that the country will be celebrating. This is extremely titillating for me, and others of my generation, because we missed the wedding of Charles and Diana and were too young to understand what was going on for most of the other significant Royal Weddings. Of course, there was Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding, but they played it down so it was hard as a nation to be excited about that, whether we wanted be or not. 

This is a genuine, British fairytale. It's not everyday that you get to watch a "normal" (more on that later) girl become a Princess. At some point in most of our lives, us females have dreamt of such a thing. Everything about Kate and William's story screams Hollywood fairytale ending. They started out as "just good friends", William noticed Kate when she modelled in a catwalk show (in a rather revealing dress), they fell in love, then came the split, the make up and to end it all, the marriage. How many films have ended like this? Let's face it, tomorrow is really just the start of their long and happy life together. It's what dreams are made of. 

Above anything I find it wonderful and exhilarating to see our country standing together as one to celebrate this historic event. Surely, in the age of celebrity endorsements, Kate and William are the faces of the British Monarchy. History is being made. Naturally you find many cynics, who feel that the Monarchy are a waste of time, or that they bring nothing to the country. I've seen or heard people drone on about how the wedding is a farce- I'm sure those people will be going in to work on the additional bank holiday then? Thought not. 

My stance on tomorrow is one of whole-hearted support. I look forward to supporting my country and my future King and Queen. The power to pull together through these amazing times, as well as during the bad times, is what makes the United Kingdom so special. Let's make Kate and William proud!

is happy to be on a losing streak again at class, but is off to bed for an early night. Back to work tomorrow. Night all! X

Poems for us girls!

Savage- by A. Williamson


I bare no scar,
No sign of a bite.
The change is looming,
An unstoppable force.


Soon you won't recognise me,
I'll be transformed.
This is the price I pay
for being me.


Tempers run short.
I hate the world.
Self-pity is my hobby.
I don't bother smiling. 


I want to rip you apart,
Savage you with words.
Please, ignore them.
They're lies, each and every one.


All I do is moan,
But how dare anyone tell me to stop?
To hell with you all.
I'm better alone.


The moon is waning,
along with my hatred.
Calm slowly returns to by body,
I'm rational again.


Until the next full moon. 


I found this next poem online, and it's quite funny, yet sums up "the time of the month" for me perfectly.


by XLilMissFrostyx

Complaining about everything
Sitting silently in sorrow
Hoping and praying
For a better day tomorrow.

Curled up on my bed
Pitiful thoughts roam
Who are you to say
All I ever do is moan?

If you knew what it felt like
To have to endure this pain
You wouldn't get so offended
When I angrily call your name.

Don't try and turn around my mood
Don't try and make me get dressed
You'd understand why I act this way
If you had to suffer PMS 


Found on http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/funny/poems.php?id=896501

Is it a full moon?

Today is the last day of the wonderful Easter holidays, and doesn't it show? I have been an absolute nightmare, and my innocent husband has had the brunt of my mood thrown right at him. Why is it, that when our hormones are going berserk, and when we turn into monsters that Stephen King would be proud of, we dump all of our crap onto our nearest and dearest and treat them like we hate them? I would like to publicly declare that I do not hate Andy in the slightest, and that I am truly sorry for the way that I treat him sometimes. There are no excuses whatsoever, but I genuinely can't control my anger when I am in a mood like I have been in today.

I'm not a violent person, I would never lay a hand on anyone, nor would I be rude to strangers or people who I barely know. But show me someone I love, someone who I care about more than anything in the world, and I will savage them like a beast until one of us has to admit defeat (and it's rarely me who throws in the towel). What causes, and I am going to generalise profusely here, the most rational of women to act in this way? I have never seen a "bloke" throw a hissy fit, or scream at someone because there is no chocolate in the house, or go on a shopping frenzy, or try their best to alienate their friends when they know they have done nothing wrong. Is it really just what women do? Is it our nature, do hormones really affect us in this way? Or are there darker forces at work? I do not know the answers, but I wish someone would hurry up and find out.

It's a fact that women suffer from depression and severe mood imbalances more than men. Is this all down to our hormones, and our complicated reproductive system that we have to life with and adapt to? Some say that women face more stresses than men. Maybe we just deal with stresses and strains in a more open way, therefore making it look like we're more affected. Apparently one in eight women will be "clinically depressed" at some point in their lives. I look at my group of friends, a gang of eight close-nit girls, and already (before most of us have reached our mid-twenties, and certainly our thirties) I'd say five of us have experienced some form of depression at some stage of our life. Does this prove that depression is more common than medical experts will admit? Possibly. It certainly makes me realise exactly how prone to depression and similar conditions women are susceptible to.

Have my outbursts been a symptom of clinical depression? Not necessarily. They have been more than me simply "being in one". As someone who is "sub-fertile" (infertile is not PC nowadays) my PMT is horrendous, and PCOS doesn't help with this in the slightest. In this respect, men certainly do get it easy. The worrying thing is, and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this, that today's episodes are Day 1, and I usually get far worse. Shall I lock myself away for a week, or do what the NHS suggest to do to combat PMS- eat healthily and exercise. I'll see what tomorrow brings me. A day back with kids at work tomorrow will kill me or cure me. I'm hoping that publishing my thoughts in cyber-space, whether they are read or not, will help me to avoid the dark place that I would otherwise sink into for the next five days or so.

One thing I will say, and this is aimed at my amazing husband, family and friends, is that the Ali you know and love may be replaced by a maniac for a short while, but the old one loves you all very much, despite what I may tell you! Next time, I'm coming back as a man! 

30 day challenge: Day 2

 Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name


There was no science behind the name of this blog. It's my first one, and something about "My first blog" prompted me to think of Ke$ha and "My first kiss". Very simple, borderline stupid really! 

Last day off work. Thanks to Cumbria County Council and the Royal Wedding we're only doing a two day week this week! Lovely x

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ping is the future! X

Off to bed now... Happy to have linked Facebook to Twitter, I'll be tweeting all the time now! X

How do you guys find Ping.FM? I'm getting there! X

is trying to get to grips with Ping.FM... Think I'm getting there! X

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

These are a few of my favourite things... (in no particular order of preference!)

The 1990s!

Dawson's Creek

Glee- cheesy entertainment

Live music

Sarah and Jade

My husband and me

Some of my lovely friends

My niece

Audrey

Harry Potter

Fruit

My family- my sisters

Autumn leaves

The sea

Snow

Summer

Music

Twilight

30 day challenge: Day 1

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts


Well, I'm Ali and I'm from a small town in the North-West of England. It's a beautiful part of the country really. Ten minutes east and you have the stunning Lake District, and to the west is the Solway. We've got some of the nicest beaches in the country; I really am proud to be West Cumbrian. I'm 25, and I love being in my 20s. It's so much easier than being a teenager, don't you think? I married my "high-school sweetheart" when I was 22, and I am blissfully happy. This is something about myself that I don't shy away from, and that I am not ashamed of. We've got a lovely black labrador called Rosie; she's our baby until we're blessed enough to have an actual child, and even then we'll still spoil her rotten! 


As well as being lucky in love, I've got a great group of friends. Some I have met in more recent years, some I have been friends with for most of my life. All are truly appreciated. Before friends comes family, and I have a BIG family. Two sisters, who are my world really. My mam is an absolute superstar, as is my step-dad. My dad is wonderful too, and I love him and his partner to pieces. Then there's my true idol, Nanna Moo. She's my favourite person, and an inspiration. I was lucky enough to marry into a fabulous family. Again, I appreciate my family very much so. 


I'm not implying that my life is perfect, far from it. But I will stand up and say that my husband, friends and my family are all I need in my life, and to introduce myself properly I need to get this fact across. 

My husband and I this weekend in Liverpool

15 facts about me...

1. I work at the school I went to when I was a teenager. 
2. I have 2 sisters who are twins.
3. I have only kissed one man in my "adult" life!! 
4. I can no longer handle my drink and fear having alcohol and I am therefore pretty much sober now. 
5. I have a large number of "lady crushes" but I'm not gay. 
6. I'm a total drama queen and a bit vain, but the most loyal and friendly person you'll meet.
7. I still have two "baby teeth". 
8. I married my first real boyfriend... we've been together over eight years now.
9. I hope to move to South Africa someday.
10. I was a happy accident but prefer to say "a medical miracle".
11. I always wanted a middle name so for years I lied and said it was Louise
12. I have an IQ of 136...
13. My first "memory" is getting peas on a plane and not liking them... I've never tasted peas since. 
14. I often dream things and think they really happened!
15. My dream job would be a party planner or a writer! 

30 day challenge

I completed a similar challenge on "Ye Olde Facebook" and, not that I needed any, it gave me some encouragement and purpose of my visits to the site. I thought I would do a similar challenge on here, especially as I'm new to the blogging scene and need to let people get to know me.


Ok, for you fellow bloggers out there, the challenge is this:


Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3: Your first love
Day 4: Your parents
Day 5: A song to match your mood
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite movies
Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend
Day 10: Something you’re afraid of
Day 11: Favorite tv shows
Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without
Day 13: Goals
Day 14: A picture of you last year – how have you changed?
Day 15: Bible verse
Day 16: Dream house
Day 17: Something you’re looking forward to
Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?
Day 22: What’s in your purse?
Day 23: Favorite Movie
Day 24: Something you’ve learned
Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding
Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in
Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Day 29: 3 Wishes
Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge


I hope that you have as much fun reading this as I do completing. Have a go yourself, you might find yourself having some revelations in the process! 

Fears: Irrational or logical?

fear

  
[feer]
–noun
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil,pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: anabnormal fear of heights.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
4. reverential awe, especially toward god.
5. that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which aperson is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.

"Look, look, I'm like Steve Irwin, that crocodile hunter!" This was the statement that my husband made whilst storming upstairs. The excitement in his voice was as though he'd just been given a season ticket for Liverpool FC- over the top, and unnecessary! He lumbered clumsily into our room, where I am sitting peacefully writing down my thoughts in my first evening of blogging activity. I nonchalantly looked around to see what the cause of the hysteria was. When I spotted the up-turned glass and leaflet-lid in his hand, my heart began to race in my chest, and I felt the knots in my stomach tighten. I knew instantly that it was one of my many fears; a spider. 

As I felt the colour drain from my face, the love of my life seemed to be happier with every second. He is the man of the house. He had captured a spider, and without exaggeration it was the biggest spider I have ever seen in this house before, and brought it up to show me. Like a cat brings in dead mice as a sign of affection, I'm sure he had only meant to prove how much he loves me by capturing and disposing of such a beast. But did I need to see it? In fairness, probably! However, the result of the spider being in the same room as me, especially a spider of such magnitude, was not one of gratitude and awe. Panic set in, making me shake. I ordered it to be taken out of my sight. Tears welled up, and I got that vile taste you get just before you vomit. My husband was right, you could see the hairs on it's legs, it was so big. 

Once the spider had been set free (no matter how much I hate the little critters, I'd never want to kill one), and I knew that I was safe again, my heart rate slowed to a more normal pace, the clammy feel of my skin disappeared, and my stomach stopped doing cartwheels inside of me. I began to feel calm almost instantly. The point I am trying to get to is that I have a complete fear of something that is tiny, and realistically cannot do me any harm. I have no reasons to be scared of spiders, I even hate the cliché that my fear is. But the truth of the matter is, no matter how hard I try no to, I have an incredible fear and loathing of spiders. 

Is there such a thing as a rational fear? Is it true that the only thing to fear is, in fact, fear itself? I wish someone had the answer, and I certainly wish that someone had a cure for my ridiculous, and, even in my own opinion, irrational fear.